Ralph DiClemente

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Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Ralph DiClemente was trained as a Health Psychologist at the University of California, San Francisco where he received his PhD in 1984 after completing a ScM at the Harvard School of Public Health. He earned his undergraduate degree at the City University of New York.

Dr. DiClemente’s research has four key foci:

Developing interventions to reduce the risk of HIV/STD among vulnerable populations
Developing interventions to enhance vaccine uptake among high-risk adolescents and women, such as HPV and influenza vaccine
Developing implementation science interventions to enhance the uptake, adoption and sustainability of HIV/STD prevention programs in the community
Developing diabetes screening and behavior change interventions to identify people with diabetes who are unaware of their disease status as well as reduce the risk of diabetes among vulnerable populations.

He has focused on developing intervention packages that blend community and technology-based approaches that are designed to optimize program effectiveness and enhance programmatic sustainability.

Dr. DiClemente is the author of ten CDC-defined, evidence-based interventions for adolescents and young African-American women and men. He is the author of more than 540 peer-review publications, 150 book chapters, and 21 books. He serves as a member of the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council.

Previously, Dr. DiClemente served as the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Public Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. He was also Associate Director of the Center for AIDS Research, and was previously Chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education at the Rollins School of Public Health.

Dr. DiClemente is Past President of the Georgia chapter of the Society for Adolescent Health & Medicine. He previously served as a member of the CDC Board of Scientific Counselors, and the NIMH Advisory Council.

Education

BA, The City College of the City University of New York (CCNY), New York, NY

ScM, Behavioral Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

PhD, Health Psychology, University of California San Francisco Center for Behavioral Sciences, San Francisco, CA

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, San Francisco, CA

Areas of research and study

Community Interventions

Diabetes

HIV/AIDS

Implementation science

Influenza

Psychology

Publications

A Multi-Stage Dyadic Qualitative Analysis to Disentangle How Dietary Behaviors of Asian American Young Adults are Influenced by Family

Trajectories of Physical Violence Against Latinas and Black Women: The Protective Role of Parents, Neighborhoods, and Schools

ASSESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF THEORY-BASED CORRELATES OF FUTURE HIV VACCINE INTENTIONS AMONG BLACK MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN

Childhood Violence, High School Academic Environment, and Adult Alcohol Use Among Latinas and Black Women: A Structural Equation Modeling Study

Comparing the Influences of Spouses or Partners With Other Family Members in the Ability of Young Asian Americans to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

Determinants of an HIV Preventive Vaccine among a Highly Vulnerable Population: African American Men Who Have Sex with Men

Ensuring fidelity: key elements to consider in disseminating a diabetes telemanagement program for underserved Hispanic/Latinos living with type 2 diabetes

Exploring sleep difficulties, alcohol, illicit drugs, and suicidal ideation among adolescents with a history of depression

How do Asian American young adults influence the health of family members? Structural equation modeling of age, acculturation, interactivity, and closeness

How Shared Dietary Behaviors Within Asian American Families Are Influenced by Emotional Interaction Qualities: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Analysis

Ali, S. H., Meltzer, G., DiClemente, R. J., Islam, N. S., Yi, S. S., Yang, L. H., & Misra, S. (n.d.).

Publication year

2024

Journal title

International Journal of Behavioral Medicine

10.1007/s12529-024-10303-4

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Asian American (AA) young adults face a looming diet-related non-communicable disease crisis. Interactions with family members are pivotal in the lives of AA young adults and form the basis of family-based interventions; however, little is known on the role of these interactions in shared family food behaviors. Through an analysis of 2021 nationwide survey data of 18–35-year-old AAs, this study examines how the quality of family member interactions associates with changes in shared food purchasing, preparation, and consumption. Method: Interaction quality was assessed through 41 emotions experienced while interacting with family, and was categorized as positive (e.g., “I look forward to it”), negative (e.g., “I feel annoyed”), and appreciation-related (e.g., “I feel respected”) interactions. Participants were also asked how frequently they ate meals, ate out, grocery shopped, and cooked with their family. Results: Among the 535 AAs surveyed (47.6% East Asian, 21.4% South Asian, 22.6% Southeast Asian), 842 unique family interactions were analyzed; 43.5% of interactions were with mothers, followed by siblings (27.1%), and fathers (18.5%). Participants most frequently ate meals with their family (at least daily for 33.5% of participants), followed by cooking (at least daily for 11.3%). In adjusted analyses, an increase in shared food behaviors was particularly associated with positive interactions, although most strongly with cooking together and least strongly with eating meals together; significant differences between ethnic subgroups were not observed. Conclusion: Findings revealed the importance of family interaction quality when leveraging family relationships to develop more tailored, impactful AA young adult dietary interventions.

Mutual capacity building model for adaptation (MCB-MA): a seven-step procedure bidirectional learning and support during intervention adaptation

Pivoting from in-person to phone survey assessment of alcohol and substance use: effects on representativeness in a United States prospective cohort of women living with and without HIV

Reach and Capacity of Black Protestant Health Ministries as Sites of Community-Wide Health Promotion: A Qualitative Social Ecological Model Examination

‘We know what he likes, even if he doesn’t know’: how the children of South Asian immigrants characterize and influence the diets of their parents

Concordance of Ethyl Glucuronide, Blood Alcohol Content, and Self-Reported Alcohol Use in Russian Women with HIV and Hepatitis C Virus Co-Infection

COVID-19 stressors for Hispanic/Latino patients living with type 2 diabetes: a qualitative study

Crush: A Randomized Trial to Evaluate the Impact of a Mobile Health App on Adolescent Sexual Health

Digital Communications Technology Use and Feelings of Anxiety, Depression, and Loneliness Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Do parental protective factors matter? Predicting HIV/STI risk among a sample of justice-involved African-American girls

Evaluating the healthfulness of Asian American young adult dietary behaviors and its association with family structure: Disaggregated results from NHIS 2015